The present invention relates to a sailboat having at least two hulls which are rigidly connected in spaced parallel arrangement by a platform or the like, and having a mast, a sail, and a rudder.
Known sailboats of the generic type involve the advantage of having greater stability but still weighing less than sailboats having only one hull. This also results in the further advantage of high sailing speed, which is evidenced in a particularly typical manner by that type of multi-hull boat which is designed as a twin-hull boat in the form of a catamaran, having two rigidly interconnected hulls and a mast with a sail attached midship.
The above-mentioned advantages of known sailboats of the generic type, however, are paid a high price for in the form of serious disadvantages. These include such facts as that a conventional twin-hull boat has considerable dimensions, in particular with respect to its width, and is also relatively difficult to maneuver for this reason. This poor maneuverability is increased by the typical cross-sectional shape of the hulls, which is knife-like throughout from stem to stern, thereby greatly impairing the maneuverability of the twin-hull boat as compared with a single-hull boat.
It is further peculiarity typical of such a known twin-hull boat that the danger of capsizing is great, especially at appreciable or relatively high wind speeds. Finally, the maneuverability of the known twin-hull boat is also impaired in proximity to land by the fact that the rudder blade and centerboard blade which protrude downwardly to an appreciable degree from the lower boundary edge of each hull make it impossible to go through shallow waters or make it necessary to bring up both the centerboard and the rudder in proximity to land and before running ashore.
The invention is therefore based on the problem of eliminating the disadvantages described by designing the sailboat of the generic type in such a way that it may be constructed with lesser width than is usual while still being more maneuverable, better protected against capsizing and allowing for higher sailing speeds.